Anne Johnson

About Anne Johnson

Anne Johnson, age 56, is Chief Financial Officer of ATAI, serving as CFO since February 2024 after acting as Interim CFO from October 2023 to February 2024; she previously served as Chief Accounting Officer (May–Oct 2023) and VP, Global Controller (Jan 2021–May 2023). She holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), with prior finance leadership roles at Aruvant Sciences (Controller, Dec 2018–Dec 2020), Chimerix, PPD, and Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals . Company performance over her tenure shows minimal revenue and persistently negative EBITDA; see the table below for the latest quarterly revenue and EBITDA levels (not a reflection of realized pay but relevant for pay-for-performance alignment) .

Company Performance During Johnson’s CFO Tenure

Past Roles

External Roles

Fixed Compensation

Performance Compensation

Annual Cash Bonus

Stock Options Granted (2024)

Outstanding Equity Awards (as of 12/31/2024)

Equity Ownership & Alignment

• No pledging or hedging activity for Anne Johnson is disclosed; the company maintains an anti-hedging policy and a clawback policy (see policies below) .

Employment Terms

• Severance (without cause or for good reason): 9 months of base salary continuation; payment of any earned but unpaid prior-year bonus; up to 9 months COBRA reimbursement, subject to release and covenants .
• Change-in-control (double-trigger; termination within 12 months post-CIC): lump sum equal to 1x annual base salary plus target annual bonus; earned but unpaid prior-year bonus; up to 12 months COBRA reimbursement; full acceleration of time-based equity; performance-based awards per applicable agreement; option exercise window extended to the earlier of 12 months post-termination or option expiry .
• Clawback: Recovery of erroneously awarded incentive compensation for three years preceding a required restatement, per Nasdaq Rule 10D-1 compliant policy adopted Oct 2, 2023 .
• Anti-hedging: Directors, officers, and employees prohibited from hedging transactions (prepaid forwards, swaps, collars, exchange funds) that offset declines in company equity value .
• 401(k) and benefits: Company matches 100% of employee contributions up to 3% of eligible compensation; company paid 100% of premiums for U.S. health and welfare plans in 2024 .

Performance & Track Record

Recent Financials

Forward Consensus Estimates

Governance and Role Evolution

• She was nominated to serve as a managing director for a three-year term (subject to governance proposals); regardless of proposal outcomes, she continues serving as CFO .
• As of Nov 5, 2025, AtaiBeckley’s leadership team includes Anne Johnson, CPA, as CFO following the strategic combination with Beckley Psytech .

Compensation Structure Analysis

• Cash vs equity mix: 2024 total comp of $1,502,139 comprised salary ($415,000), bonus ($149,465), option awards ($927,324), and other ($10,350); she received no stock award in 2024, highlighting a heavy option tilt vs RSUs that year .
• Annual option grant cadence: 550,000 options granted in 2024, vesting monthly after the first anniversary—this schedule can create ongoing monthly supply overhang from potential exercises/sales .
• Option modifications: Pre-IPO option term extensions in Oct 2024 added $135,163 incremental fair value for Johnson, a governance-sensitive modification though not a repricing .
• Annual bonus alignment: 2024 corporate/clinical/financing goals assessed at 90% leading to payouts at 90% of target, with Johnson’s target at 40% of base—explicit linkage to operational milestones .

Risk Indicators & Red Flags

• Clawback policy in place (Oct 2, 2023) covering three-year lookback on restatements .
• Anti-hedging policy prohibits hedging transactions for insiders .
• Equity award modification (option term extensions) increases fair value and may raise alignment concerns; exercise prices unchanged, but term extension increases optionality .
• No pledging disclosed for Johnson; note that a major shareholder (Apeiron) has pledged shares, but this does not pertain to Johnson’s holdings .

Equity Ownership & Alignment Details

Investment Implications

• Retention and selling pressure: The 2024 550,000 option grant with 25% cliff at 1-year and monthly vest thereafter suggests potential incremental insider selling pressure around monthly vest dates; monitor Form 4 filings for patterns .
• Pay-for-performance: Cash bonuses explicitly linked to corporate/clinical/financing milestones (90% achievement) indicate operational alignment; heavy option weighting aligns upside with share price appreciation but can dilute if persistently out-of-the-money or modified terms are used .
• Change-in-control economics: Double-trigger CIC severance of 1x salary+target bonus plus full acceleration of time-based equity and extended exercise window reduces departure friction, but can incentivize retention through transaction close .
• Governance and cash runway: With the AtaiBeckley combination and stated liquidity to fund operations into 2029, execution risk centers on advancing Phase 3 for BPL-003 and pipeline milestones; compensation outcomes will likely hinge on clinical progress rather than near-term revenue given consensus forecasts .